New to Altec - what to buy

[JRKO]

Hi all. New boy here. Been fascinated by horns for years but never had the wherewithal to get a set. I have been playing with large driver, large cabinet speakers for a good while now and really appreciate the effortless power they produce. 15" Tannoy Berkeley's (Alnico!!) where my first (I still miss the smooth presentation) and since then its been DIY all the way, ending up with a pair of onken based 12" fullrangers at the moment.

I have been reading up all I can about the 802/806/808/902/811/511.......

I have available at the moment

806a-16 with 811b - In UK ?475
808 converted to 802-8g with either NOS 511b or preloved 511b - IN Europe ?440 with NOS horns
802-8g with 811b - In US ?395 including postage but not import taxes
902-8b - In UK ?240

In terms of initial cost vs. physical return I think the set from the US seems to make more sense as they are the most original unmolested set. But I have concerns (might not be real tho) that Alnico mags need to be re-magnetised as they age. From what I've read, the 902 is the more modern (1980's), non Alnico (no remag issue) and has the better U/HF but requires a higher xover of say 1200Hz and a decent slope to prevent overpower damage at lower frequencies. So the 902 seems a good buy from the sense of age and age related deterioration.

This will be a DIY effort and horns will be built into a cabinet for WAF - thats actually the only way I can get them to pass muster - that and buying new carpet and sofa

I value HF extension and smoothness but must have SNAP in the midrange and so will use a 10" or 8" cone for that

Please help me decide based on your REAL LIFE experience which would be the best buy

[LICORNE]

Hi all. New boy here. Been fascinated by horns for years but never had the wherewithal to get a set. I have been playing with large driver, large cabinet speakers for a good while now and really appreciate the effortless power they produce. 15" Tannoy Berkeley's (Alnico!!) where my first (I still miss the smooth presentation) and since then its been DIY all the way, ending up with a pair of onken based 12" fullrangers at the moment.

I have been reading up all I can about the 802/806/808/902/811/511.......

I have available at the moment

806a-16 with 811b - In UK ?475
808 converted to 802-8g with either NOS 511b or preloved 511b - IN Europe ?440 with NOS horns
802-8g with 811b - In US ?395 including postage but not import taxes
902-8b - In UK ?240

In terms of initial cost vs. physical return I think the set from the US seems to make more sense as they are the most original unmolested set. But I have concerns (might not be real tho) that Alnico mags need to be re-magnetised as they age. From what I've read, the 902 is the more modern (1980's), non Alnico (no remag issue) and has the better U/HF but requires a higher xover of say 1200Hz and a decent slope to prevent overpower damage at lower frequencies. So the 902 seems a good buy from the sense of age and age related deterioration.

This will be a DIY effort and horns will be built into a cabinet for WAF - thats actually the only way I can get them to pass muster - that and buying new carpet and sofa

I value HF extension and smoothness but must have SNAP in the midrange and so will use a 10" or 8" cone for that

Please help me decide based on your REAL LIFE experience which would be the best buy

From my experience with altec a-8 a-7 a-5 and 604. THe bigger the horn the more fidelity or definition you get . The A_5 with either large multicells or Mantaray such has the MR94 tops any thing on the market. Next stop JBL 4675C seies.







have a good day.

[JRKO]

Thanks for the reply LICORNE. I love the look of the mantaray but really like the multicell look

Bit the bullet a few mins ago and called Bill at GPA!!! Great guy - Man I wish I lived in the USA

I'll let you know what happens......

Whats preferred, single horns or multicells????

[LICORNE]

Thanks for the reply LICORNE. I love the look of the mantaray but really like the multicell look

Bit the bullet a few mins ago and called Bill at GPA!!! Great guy - Man I wish I lived in the USA

I'll let you know what happens......

Whats preferred, single horns or multicells????

For professional application the Mantaray MR 94 is currently used with Altec A5 in new installations. Both sound good but for even dispersion the Mantaray or single horn is the best way to go. LARGE HORNS

THe MR 594 II even if it uses a 1.4"throat is considered a small horn.



Thie next picture are Altec A4 with JBL horn and driver and JBL subwoofers.

[Old Guy]

THe bigger the horn the more fidelity or definition you get .

That is utterly ridiculous. Sorry. A bigger horn has advantages only at longer wavelengths.

The JBL slot tweeter has a tiny horn and performs well.

The OP is likely not going to want to foot the bill to ship a set of tar filleds to where he lives.

The "smaller system" referenced in that quote is a smaller theater system, and the comparison is for theater use, where does he say "in a living room"? There are lots of good small home systems. He doesn't need huge boxes.

I'm with Pano, 19's or a cheaper to buy and ship set of 14's. If you got unlimited funds a pair of 18's.

[Altec Best]

For best sound I'm partial to Multicells.But MantaRays sound nice too.The MR594II/288's.The Manta ray is a 4 bolt configuration though. What is the dimensions of your room ?

Welcome to the "Altec Users Board" !

[gearfreak]

The Manta ray is a 4 bolt configuration though.

Not certain if referring to a particular one, but of course not all MR's are 4 bolt.

Search Phila CL for MRII564 for decent pics of the 3 bolt example. (yes, mine).

[Altec Best]

Yes you are right about room size . But as A former projectionist and sound operator THe altecs with Big horns are the best HI FI souning speakers.

Same comment by another cinema installer on film tech:

quote Steve :

I'll put an Altec A-4/MR94 up against any large system or an Altec A-5/MR94 up against any smaller system any day. And as to medium horns...the MRII594 is unbeatable in my book.

What does this have to do with the OP's request ? If he can't get it past his Wife, it is irrelevant ! So I will assume these are for his home. Here is a part of his original post. Post # 1

This will be a DIY effort and horns will be built into a cabinet for WAF - thats actually the only way I can get them to pass muster - that and buying new carpet and sofa

I value HF extension and smoothness but must have SNAP in the midrange and so will use a 10" or 8" cone for that

Please help me decide based on your REAL LIFE experience which would be the best buy

Not certain if referring to a particular one, but of course not all MR's are 4 bolt.

Search Phila CL for MRII564 for decent pics of the 3 bolt example. (yes, mine).

Hi Gearfreak, all my posts have been about the MR594 II which are 4 bolt Large format Horns. I only posted them pro boxes as an example on how you can build boxes around a 511,MR594 II, horns so his wife will like them.Maybe with some veneer or a nice hardwood or furniture grade ply.


I also agree with Pano & OG ! Can't go wrong with Model 17,18, and my favorites 19's .... But he states this will be a DIY project.So I will hazard to guess a small format horn and he also mentions a 10" or 8" cone. IMO that is really small even for a small format compression driver. 12" woofer would be the smallest I would go with.

[JRKO]

Hey guys - thanks for the info so far! Its definitly for home use. My room is a typical English lounge = not big 16x12 brick all around (concrete floor & ceiling) but then again these pix show a previous pair doing a poor copy job of Altec 19's I believe. For scale Im 6'4" and in the other pic thats my lounge looking at the 12' width

Spoke to Bill at GPA who is a font of info and a really stand up guy, not even pressing me to buy new diaphragms for the pair of 902-8b's he recommended over the older variants if available. He suggested a 511b or 811b horns depending on crossover, which is nice as thats where I was leaning toward. Next stop that little online auction place..............so I am now the proud owner of a pair of 902-8b's coming from inside the UK so no import duty to pay. YAY

Next stop - horns!!

[JRKO]

But he states this will be a DIY project.So I will hazard to guess a small format horn and he also mentions a 10" or 8" cone. IMO that is really small even for a small format compression driver. 12" woofer would be the smallest I would go with.

Sorry my bad. My intention is to use a pair Eminence Beta-15A's (that I already own) for bass but they don't get too far up the freq range (eminence.com/pdf/Beta_15A.pdf) and may not play nice at 1200Hz. So I thought I'd play the JBL game and add a smaller 'mid bass' driver for more transient attack. I like these (profesional.beyma.com/pdf/10MI100E.pdf). That way the Beta-15a's could be on a plate amp each which I already have doing 30-150Hz and the 10" could manage 150-1200Hz. I could also make the Beta-15a's into separate subs for higher WAF.

Now that was my idea. Doesn't mean its right! Would the Beta-15a be ok by itself? Is 2 way better than 3? Would I be better off just buying something like (profesional.beyma.com/pdf/15MI100E.pdf)? All help appreciated